The present invention relates to a torsion bar assembly, and more particularly, to a torsion bar assembly for an industrial dishwasher door which reduces the force necessary to close the door.
Appliances in the commercial cooking environment are often manufactured from heavy stainless steel in order to increase their durability. While using stainless steel has many advantages, it results in a heavy appliance that can be a burden to operate. Using stainless steel can particularly be a problem with an appliance, such as a dishwasher, which has a door that must be continuously opened and shut in order to operate the appliance. Lifting a heavy stainless steel door in order to close the dishwasher can cause worker strain, which over time can lead to worker injury and lost work time.
Efforts to reduce the force required to close these heavy dishwasher doors have been complicated by the wet environment inside a dishwasher. Without special treatment, door closing mechanisms would normally corrode from the continuous water contact, necessitating repeated replacement. Therefore, a need exists for a door closing mechanism that reduces the effort required to close a heavy dishwasher door, yet is corrosion-resistant and able to withstand the wet interior of a dishwasher.